The Speakers

​​​We source presenters from the front lines of their field. These are the people who spend their days working on the projects they'll be speaking about. More presenters and topics are added constantly.

Prof. Rodolpho Vilhena de Moraes

​​B.Sc. in Mathematics from the Mackenzie University in 1962, M.Sc. in Mathematics from Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica (ITA) in 1968, and Ph.D. in Orbital Dynamics and Flight Mechanics from Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica in 1978. He had a postdoctoral position in Aerospace Engineering at the The Texas University at Austin – USA in 1987. Prof. Vilhena de Moraes retired from ITA, where he worked for 32 years (1963-1995), and retired from the Department of Mathematics of the São Paulo State University (UNESP) where he worked between 1995 and 2010. Prof. Vilhena de Moraes was Full Professor at ITA and is a Emeritus Professor of UNESP (2011) along with being Associate Professor in the graduate program in Aerospace Engineering and Technology of the Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais - Brazil (INPE) . He was a Senior National Visiting Professor at the Institute of Science and Technology of the Federal University of São Paulo ICT-UNIFESP) between 2010 and 2014, a Visiting researcher at INPE in 2015 and a Visiting Professor at UNIFESP in 2015. His main topics of research are Celestial Mechanics and Aerospace Engineering, with emphasis on trajectories and orbits, working mainly on the following subjects: artificial satellites, orbital perturbations, perturbation theory and resonances. He has co-authored books and chapters regarding these topics and also about space history in Brazil. He is co-founder of GRAM, now CRAAM (group of radio astronomy of Mackenzie University). He currently coordinates the Thematic Project "Dynamics of Artificial Satellites", granted by São Paulo Research Foundation (FAPESP).

Prof. Othon Winter

​Bachelor's Degree in Physics from the São Paulo State University Júlio de Mesquita Filho (UNESP - 1985), master's degree in Aerospace Engineering by the Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA - 1990) and Ph.D. in Dynamics of the Solar System of Queen Mary and Westfield College - University of London (1994). He has experience in Aerospace Engineering and Orbital Dynamics, focusing on Aerospace Engineering, the following topics: stability, three-body problem, chaos, poincaré section and resonance. Leader of the Group On Orbital Dynamics and Planetology (UNESP) and reasearcher of the Group on Space Trajectories at INPE. Currently is Vice-Chair at the Panel on Satellite Dynamics of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). Holds also positions with some organizations as the Brazilian Aerospace Association (AEB), the Brazilian Astronomical Society (SAB) and the International Astronomical Union (IAU). In 2017, the asteroid (10697) Othonwinter was named after him due to his major contributions to the field of orbital dynamics.

São Paulo State University (UNESP). Campus de Guaratinguetá. Faculdade de Engenharia (FEG).

Eng. Lucas Fonseca

Bachelor's Degree in Engineering from University of São Paulo (USP) and masters's defree from Ecole Nationale Supérieure de l'Aéronautique et de l'Espace (France). He served as an engineer of the space mission Rosetta. Currently, he is the Mission Director at the first Brazilian Lunar Mission (Mission Garatéa). He dreams about a trip to the moon, and now he is working with an amazing team on Garatéa-L project. His mission will help understand more about us, our origins and future of the universe. His team is developing a small satellite using advanced technologies, capable of running experiments that will test if living organisms can survive long space travels. The launch is expected to happen in 2020. He is also an entrepreneur, founder and CEO of the Aerospace Company Airvantis, while also involved in projects connecting Brazilian public and private schools to NASA.

Prof. André Amarante

He holds a bachelor's degree in Mathematics from the São Paulo State University "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", campus of São José do Rio Preto (2010). MSc in Physics from the São Paulo State University "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Guaratinguetá campus (2012). He is currently Substitute Professor at the Department of Mathematics of the São Paulo State University "Júlio de Mesquita Filho", Guaratinguetá campus; and holds a doctorate in Physics, also from the São Paulo State University "Júlio de Mesquita Filho". He has experience in Astronomy and Mathematics, with emphasis in Dynamic Astronomy and Mathematics Teaching, mainly working on the following topics: Planetary Systems Dynamics, Asteroid Dynamics, Observational Astronomy, Numerical Simulation and History of Mathematics.

He works with space systems for more then 13 years. Is author of the book "Sistemas Espaciais: Refinamento de Requisitos em Missões de Satélites" (Space Systems: Requirements Refinement for Satellite Missions), and scientific and technical articles. Is director of EMSISTI Space Systems & Technology, a brazilian aerospace company, member of advisor board of Brazilian Civil Aerospace Association (AAB), specialist on aerospace evaluation of COBRUF Association (Brazilian Universitary Rocket Competition). Entrepreneur, mentor, professor and speaker, has founded two startups and develop technological, education and social projects.

Prof. Odylio Denys de Aguiar

Bachelor's degree in Eletronics from the Technological Institute of Aeronautics (ITA - 1978), master's degree in Astrophysics from National Institute for Space Research (INPE -1983) and PhD in Physics by Louisiana State University System. Currently he is a full professor at INPE, where he works at the post-graduate school on Astrophysics and also has supervised several PhD and post-doc projects along his carrier. His majors are connected to areas of Physics such as Relativity and Experimental Gravitation. The main topics his investigations are: gravitational waves and their detection, Mario Schenberg detector, LIGO project, LIGO Voyager. He has been part of the scientific collaborative project LIGO (LSC), which made the first detections of gravitational waves (2015 and 2017), inaugurating a new window for universe observations: Astronomy/Astrophysics of Gravitational Waves. Currently he is coordinating the development of technology for the detection of gravitational waves in Brazil, seeking to consolidate Brazilian Scientific Comunity in projects of detection/observation of gravitational waves.

National Institute for Space Research (INPE) - Division of Astrophysics.

Prof. Rafael Sfair

Bachelor and Licentiate in Physics by Federal University of Paraná (2004) and M.Sc. and PhD in Physics by São Paulo State University (UNESP) in 2007 and 2011. He was also a visiting doctoral researcher at Observatoire de Paris-Meudon (2009) and a postdoc research fellow at UNESP in 2011. He is currently an Assistant Professor at the Department of Mathematics of the São Paulo State University (UNESP), campus of Guaratinguetá (FEG), where he works since 2011. His main topics of research are Celestial Mechanics, Orbital Dynamics, Planetary Rings and Observational Astronomy with emphasis on the following topics: Numerical Simulations, Image Analysis, Solar Radiation Pressure, Occultations. He has being part of team of researchers that have recently discovered the first system of rings around a minor body in the Solar Solar, the centaur asteroid Chariklo.